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Game of Thrones - Peter Dinklage interview

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Peter Dinklage star of The Station Agent and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian talks to us about playing ‘the imp’, Tyrion Lannister in Sky Atlantic’s epic new series Game of Thrones

Q. How would you describe Game of Thrones?
Peter Dinklage: Game of Thrones has sort of been linked with the fantasy genre, but I’m not quick to call it fantasy because it’s more reality-based than that. There are not magical creatures and magicians and puffs of smoke or any of that, but there are fantastic elements. It’s very different from Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia and all of that stuff we have seen. It’s much more political. It’s human drama.

Q. But there are supernatural elements to the show?
Peter Dinklage: Actually, the supernatural element is a great mystery to the characters and they themselves don’t really know what it is. They have different opinions about it. I don’t want to give too much away, but I can tell you that my character is a sceptic regarding a presence that lurks in the shadows, which a lot of people deny and a lot of people accept.

Q. How would you describe your character?
Peter Dinklage: I play Tyrion Lannister from the clan Lannister. There are a few different families in this show. The Starks are of the North and the Lannisters are of the South. My sister marries the King so we travel north, some of us a bit begrudgingly, to meet and greet and play nice and not so nice. My character enjoys a good time. He was born of great wealth and privilege and he sort of abuses that. He also has a tremendous amount pain within his family. He has a terrible relationship with his sister and his father, and, as the series goes along, we see a lot of the poor decisions he makes.

Q. What’s Game of Thrones about in a nutshell?
Peter Dinklage: The backdrop of it all is a power struggle for the throne. There are characters who have ill intentions and will use any means to get power. That’s the main struggle, but within that there are so many complicated relationships that it just makes for great drama. Everybody has something at stake and something to lose or gain by the words, or by the sword, of somebody else.

Q. How did acting in a TV show differ from acting in a film?
Peter Dinklage: The great thing about doing a TV show like this is that you don’t have to reveal yourself an hour-and-a-half or two hours into it. We have 10 hours, so it was like we were shooting a 10-hour movie. We have a slower burn and you get to sort of play within that and it’s a lot of fun. It’s not black and white. The characters are very grey and there are no heroes and villains. Good people do bad things and vice-versa and it makes for very complex characters.

Who is Tyrion Lannister?
The younger brother of Jaime and Queen Cersei Lannister, Tyrion may be small, but his intellect gives him a significant advantage over his enemies. Fond of wine, women and books, ‘the imp’ rises above the slights of his peers with a piercing mind that deftly identifies the failings of those around him. His insightful scorn is not just reserved for others, however, his acknowledgement of his own weaknesses being Tyrion Lannister’s major strength.